Here's the Number, Now FAX it to Me!
by sasoriza92
Summary: A series of oneshot Max Ride stories jam packed with the ever so awesome FAXNESS. I'll accept any requests too. Rated T just in case some higher rating deserved stories come up.
1. All's Fair in Love and War

**Disclaimer: I own Maximum Ride...My name is also Bill Clinton and I own a unicorn with a purple horn and pink spots...Which all adds up to me lying through my teeth. :)**

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All's Fair in Love and War

_Oh, he is so going to get it. He is so overly dead_, she thought. _He is _so_ going to get it._

"B . . . 7?" she said slowly after much thought. She looked over the small walls dividing them. His mouth curved up into a smirk. "Are you _kidding_ me?" the girl shrieked.

He smiled at her again, folding his arms across his chest. "Nope, you missed again, Max."

Max stood up from the floor. She swept her hand across the table, sending their game of Battle Ship onto the ground. "BS!" she cursed. "This is such bull sh—"

Fang raised an eye brow. "Max. . . ." he said with warning and authority in his voice.

"Okay, okay," Max sighed, sitting back down. "Well, since the game is over," she said, looking sheepishly at the spilled red and white pegs across the ground, "you up for a game of war?" Fang shrugged, and Max left for the junk drawer in the kitchen to find the deck of cards. "Fang, do you know where the deck of cards are?" she called from the other room.

He glanced down at the small box in his jacket pocket before hiding it away again. "Did you try Gazzy's room?" he shouted back.

Max ran back into the large, open room and past Fang to look in the boy's room. "It's not in here!" she cried after a few minutes of hopeless searching.

Fang slowly peeled the deck out of his pocket again and slid it on the table. By the time Max came stomping back into the room, Fang had divided the deck into two equal halves.

"Where'd you find the cards?" Max asked him. Fang shrugged, sliding one deck toward Max's end of the table. Soon enough, they were both flipping cards. Max would win a pair, Fang would win a pair, and then Fang would win again.

"So, I've been thinking," Fang said clearly, flipping over a jack of diamonds in the process.

"About what?" Max turned over a three of clubs, and frowned as she pushed the pair back over to Fang.

He looked up and smiled at her, flipping an ace of hearts. "You, who else?"

Max nodded, frowning at her next card, a seven. "Oh, and what were you thinking about me about?" She wrinkled her nose from her losing two of spades and her word choice.

Fang chuckled and quickly grabbed the next set of cards he won. "I was just thinking about you, that's all."

"Like what kinds of things, Fang?" Max asked nervously, placing a ten of hearts down.

He gathered his new win and placed the cards in his growing stack. "Like how much I wish it wasn't the Valium talking." Max silently nodded, sliding her five of spades across the table to him. Fang let out a short laugh. "You should have seen me when you did that," he chuckled hesitantly.

"I never would have known what it felt like for you to say that. I've dreamt of it, envisioned it, played it out in my head, but it was better in real life. Well, it would have been better had you not been so drugged up," he said, never looking away from the cards they kept flipping onto the table.

Max bit her lip as she flipped over her final card, which as predicted, left her losing. "Well," she said, changing the subject, "that was a quick game."

Fang looked over to her, his eyes gleaming with mischief. Max leaned back and waited for him to move. He leaped over the coffee table and landed on top of Max.

"Fang," she giggled, "get off."

He grinned wildly at her. "I don't think so," he laughed. Max tried to squirm out from underneath him, but Fang held her down. Fang grabbed her wrists and pinned them above her head with one hand. "I'll make you a deal," he said, his face close to hers, "your freedom for . . . ?"

"How 'bout I give you more leadership rights?" she offered.

Fang shook his head. "I'm second in command, don't need the extra power."

"Um, I could make cookies? A 'get out of chores for the day' card or maybe I could just let you do whatever you want?"

"No, no, and no," Fang said with a smile.

Max frowned. "Then what do you want?"

He leaned forward so that his cheek brushed up against hers. Max felt her heart skip a beat as his breath licked the side of her neck and ear. "Kiss me," he whispered.

Max gasped, sucking in her breath for a moment. "W-what?" she stuttered.

Fang smiled. "You heard what I said, Max," he said. She trembled beneath him. "Kiss me," he repeated, his lips faintly touching her skin as they moved.

"Are you serious?" she asked with little worry.

"Completely."

She was quiet for a minute, thinking about her options. "No," she finally said. "I'm not kissing you, Fang."

He smirked wildly at her. "If that's what you choose," he whispered impishly. Fang, still holding her arms above her head, began to tickle her with his free hand.

Max laughed uncontrollably. "Fang! Okay, okay," she gasped in between laughing spasms, "stop it!" Fang grinned and sat up, no longer tickling her, but still pinning down her arms. "Now can you let go of hands, please?" she asked.

"Nope," Fang said quickly. Max pouted her lips and thought. Fang was sitting, more so straddling, her, but her legs were free. She shifted her hips and maneuvered her leg so that it was in the right position. With one awkward movement, she kneed Fang in the back. He winced and let go of Max's arms for a split second. That was all the time she needed.

Max reached up and grabbed Fang by the collar, crushing his lips onto hers. He was stunned at first, but he soon relaxed, closing his eyes and placing a hand on the side of Max's face. She moved her lips to fit his and tilted her head, deepening their kiss. Fang responded by not only moving his mouth, but slid his hand behind her, resting it between her wings.

When Max finally pulled away from him, she was breathing heavily. Fang smiled with triumph, his own breathing staggered.

"There," Max said after taking a few deep breaths, "now get off of me."

"I don't think I'm ready to quite yet," he chuckled.

"Fang, you're such a cheater!" Max said, avoiding her own laughter from spewing over.

He grinned at her. "That's not the only thing I cheated at."

Max looked over at the deck of cards, remembering how she had lost all but a few hands. "That was so not fair," she said referring to the game. "And neither is this. I kissed you, now let me up!"

"All's fair in love and war, Max," he said to her softly.

Max rolled her eyes. "Oh, shut up," she groaned. She slipped out from underneath him and dragged him over to her. "Two can play at that game," she said with an edge. Before she knew it, she was stuck to Fang again, caught in the moment of a kiss.

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_Well, this is the first in my series of Maximum Ride one shots. I hope ya like them. As for the title of this whole series (Here's the Number, Now Fax it to Me) I'm waaay sorry. I'm kind of dorky like that. Cheesy titles are my forte. lol._

_I'll write more of my own. If anyone wants me to write something for them, just message me or even better...write it in YOUR REVIEW! Well, even if you don't have a request...you should review anyway 'cause reviews are nice and they make me happy. hehehe. If you're going to fave this or put it on an alert, please leave a comment. Much 'preciated!_

_- Saz_


	2. I've Got You

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride or the song this story is based off of.**

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It was dead silent. No, it was beyond that. Fang groggily took a glance over at the clock. He blinked a few times to focus on the red lights. Eventually, the numbers grew clearer to him.

_Four in the morning,_ he thought, _are you serious?_

He rolled over on the bed, and his arm brushed up against something. Fang lifted his head to remember who was next to him. A smile crept to his face when he saw her.

Max.

Fang knew he had never been one to wear his heart on his sleeve, but he would have loved to tell Max how he felt. There were so many possibilities that he saw in her eyes. He had spent many, many nights just wondering how much he really liked her, about how much she meant to him. Maybe he liked her more than he thought. Maybe he loved her. If so, then this whole love thing was so new to him. There was one thing that Fang was entirely certain of, though. It was the real deal, and he prayed that she felt the same. Part of him had a feeling that she did.

As he gazed at her sleeping form, Fang thought about her. Every morning, she was the first thing on his mind when he woke up. She was his strength, and with her he could make it through anything. For as long as he had her, Fang knew that he could do it. Nothing— no one— could take her place. Fang chuckled quietly to himself. Max stirred, but she didn't wake up to Fang's pleasure.

Her body flipped around; her sleeping figure now facing him. She subconsciously tossed her hand over, landing on Fang's chest. His heart began to beat faster. Max would never know this, but Fang felt like she was some drug. When she was around, he felt warm, even when it was cold outside. There was no doubt— no way— that he'd ever give her or that feeling up.

Fang wondered if this is how it was like in movies of books. They always talked about searching their whole lives to find the one person that was right for them. That was kind of how he felt right now. He looked over at the clock again. It was still only a little past four. There was this strong desire Fang had to tell her all of a sudden. After all, they lived in a constant battle field, and any day could be their last. Fang silently prayed that he would have enough time to tell her some day.

Once he thought about it, Fang realized that he and Max sort of fit together like a puzzle. There were no missing pieces, just a few which needed to be placed. No doubt, he really did like her. He liked her a lot. It just seemed so natural to be with her, at least, when it wasn't awkward. His thoughts drifted further, and he knew that he would never let go of what he had.

Max moved again, but her eyes slowly fluttered open this time. Fang looked down at her and smiled. She looked so sweet and innocent when she was half asleep.

"Hey," he said softly.

"Hi," she whispered back. Max slowly drew back her arm, which had still been settled across Fang's chest. Fang grinned coolly as she blushed.

"Nightmares?" he asked.

Max shook her head. "No," she slurred, "nothing unmanageable." Fang nodded and thoughtlessly reached across her shoulders to rub her arm. At first, Max was frozen in her place, but she soon relaxed against his side.

"It was actually a good one," she mumbled with her eyes closed. "It was about you, you know."

"No, I wouldn't know," Fang said with a sigh. "I can't read minds."

"I'm kind of glad you don't," Max said halfheartedly.

Fang shrugged. "Yeah, I do, too, but only sometimes."

Max smiled, moving closer to Fang for the warmth. His heart melted, as she breathed on his shoulder. He continued to rub her arm, making her want to fall back asleep again, but she didn't want to sleep.

"I didn't know where I was in my dream," Max said, her eyes still pressed closed lightly. "There was a road ahead of me, but I just couldn't see it. It didn't matter, though, because I knew that you were right there with me." She stopped and looked over at Fang. He had his eyes shut, nodding every now and then to show he was paying attention. Max went on, "You stepped away from me, and that same second, the earth started to shake. The ground below started to fall apart, and I slipped. I was dangling from the ledge, and there was a really, really far fall. And I couldn't use my wings for some odd reason. It got harder to breathe, and I swore that I could feel the life draining out of me every second I was there."

Max stopped talking, and Fang looked over at her. "How is that good?" he asked. "You were on the edge of the world, falling off to your death, how is that a good thing?"

"It didn't matter to me," Max whispered. "It didn't matter because I had you. I knew that you'd come get me, and that you'd save me. Call it crazy, but I knew that you were with me, even though I couldn't see you."

Fang's smile made Max blush. "I don't think it's that crazy," he said to her. "I'll always be with you, no matter what. Even if I'm not there, I'll be thinking of you and how I'm going to get back to you." Max blushed a deeper shade of red when he had stopped speaking. Fang pulled her closer to him and faintly kissed her forehead.

"I've got you," he whispered to her softly, "and you've got me. That's all we'll ever need."

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_This is my first 'song fic' for Max Ride. The song of choice?_ I Got U_ by Blake Lewis. I've got a whole playlist of songs I'm eventually going to use for stories. So be prepared. hehe_

_I thought this one was kind of cute. Definitely not my best, but cute. Well, I'll be around. TTYL (Talk to y'all later)  
_

_- Saz_


	3. Valentine's Day

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride or the song this story is based off of.**

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"Happy Valentine's Day, Max!" Angel shouted. She placed a sloppy kiss on my cheek and wrapped her skinny arms around my neck. 

I looked up from my book, and I couldn't help but smile. "Love you too, kiddo," I said, giving her a big hug. She brimmed wildly before running over to Nudge.

There was a heck of a lot of hugging going around with the girls. I mean, seriously, can we talk about physical contact? We usually don't use friendly gestures around here. It's normally just a simple, "Yo, what's up?" or a quick flash of teeth, but not today. Valentine's Day just _has_ to be special. Has anyone here ever decorated for Valentine's Day? Well, take that, multiply by four, and add six mutant bird-kids to the equation. Oh yeah, things get really interesting here around the holidays.

"Eww, MAX!" Gazzy yelled in horror from the other room. "Angel kissed me!"

I smiled snidely and laughed. "She's your sister, Gaz, get used to it." He cried out and ran down the hall. His blond hair almost looked pink with all of the glitter in it. Angel walked out of her brother's room with her hands behind her back, no doubt concealing the deadly glitter.

"Max, Max, Max!" Nudge called too quickly.

"What, what, what?" I answered as similarly as possible.

"They're having a celebration down at the park later on tonight. There's gonna be a light show and a movie! Oh, and lots of food, yeah. There's going to be a lot of food there. And there's also gonna be games for the kids! I was kind of wondering if we could go. You know, get out a little bit and have some fun and–"

I raised an eye brow and she stopped talking. "I don't know, Nudge," I said. "We don't mix too well in public scenes."

"Please, please, please, please, pleeeease, Max, can we go? Pretty please with a cherry on top can we go?" Her bottom lip trembled. I looked away. Beware, Bambi eyes are lethal, more lethal than glitter, might I add.

"If Iggy is willing to watch you guys," I began and almost finished.

But who needs to finish a sentence when you have a mind reading six-year-old and a motor-mouth eleven-year-old to beat you to it? They both said "Yes!" and gave the other a high five. I rolled my eyes and read the next page in my book. Not two minutes passed before everyone was out the door. Well, not _everyone_.

Fang crept silently into the room. The only problem was I didn't realize that until he was practically on top of me. Not literally! "Did you send the kids out for a reason?"

I gasped in surprise, doing a nice flip off of the couch and landed on the floor with an oof. Fang laughed behind me before offering to help me up.

"Could you be any quieter?" I said snidely.

And what do I get for an answer? You guessed it. Pure silence.

"Okay, okay," I sighed, taking a deep breath. "They wanted to go to some Valentine's Day celebration thing down at the park. So, yeah, why not, I figured. Let's let them have some fun."

Fang raised an eyebrow. "And you didn't go because . . ."

I shrugged and said, "Don't know, maybe I just wanted to bask in your glory? No, I think it was because I wanted to just sit and relax."

A twinge of a smile was apparent on Fang's face for a second. "So," he said flopping down on the couch, "whatcha want to do?"

I sat down next to him and clicked on the TV. "I don't know, you?" Fang shrugged and shook his head, too wrapped up in some meaningless show.

"It's really Valentine's Day already?" he asked mindlessly.

"Uh, yeah, that's why the kids are out," I reminded him.

"You know what that means, right?" he asked. Fang turned toward me, smiling mischievously. Uh-oh. What Fang gets that look on his face, its best you run while you still can, but being me, I sat there like a deer in the headlights.

"Um, no," I gulped. Fang leaned across the couch, gradually getting closer to me. His eyes were smoldering with these crazy emotions I forgot he had. Crap. He reached across me, letting his hand rest on my leg. Double crap.

"It's my birthday," he whispered into my ear.

"N-no it isn't," I stuttered. Did I just stutter? Ouch. I'm never going to live this down, am I? I didn't think so.

I felt him smile against my skin, which sent shivers up and down my spine. Great, more things to give him more pleasure, and that's so what I need right now. Note the sarcasm that should be in my voice. "Maybe so," he whispered, "but why not? Either way, I want to celebrate today."

"Okay, then, let's wait for the kids so we can all celebrate together!" I gasped, dramatically leaping off of the couch.

Fang sent me a sly smile, and I swallowed hard. "I was thinking that just you and me could celebrate. You know, _alone_."

Have you ever been in a canyon or any place else where it echoes? Yeah, that would be me right about now. Alone, alone, alone, alone, alone– are you getting sick of it yet? Like I was saying, his words echoed in my head like a bad record. I backed up, real smart, Max. Fang rose from the couch and took a step toward me. Please don't let this be going where I think its going.

"Fang," I said wearily, taking another few steps back. His face was impassive, but I could seriously feel the heat coming from his eyes.

"Max," he whispered. I loved the way he said my name sometimes. Right now, on the other hand, I was too worried about getting attacked then to focus on how my name rolled off of his tongue.

In one last desperate attempt of safety, I whipped around and tried running away. You can guess what happened next. This was turning out into a bad horror flick. The girl turns and runs away to go lock herself in her room. Then, the crazy psychopath, or the overly handsome, determined hybrid in this case, follows the poor girl into her room where he continues his torturous acts.

Regardless to how you perceive this, I ended up being tackled onto my bed. Fang whirled me around so I was lying on my back and facing up to see him over me. He looked down at me with pleasure. Too much pleasure if you're asking me for my opinion, but I guess you really don't want to hear it.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Max," he hummed into my ear. Fang's lips brushed up against my cheek, giving me a sad excuse for a kiss. Well, compared to every other kiss, this one was totally pathetic. At that instant, I smelled something sweet, not sugar sweet, but nature sweet. It was light and refreshing.

"What's that?" I asked, leaning my head against his.

Fang pulled a bouquet of flowers out from behind him. My eyes widened ever so slightly in astonishment. It was a lovely bouquet of red and lavender flowers. There were camellias, carnations, freesia, and gloxinias. Then there were more. Yes, a heck of a lot more. Then there were a few orchids, four different kinds of roses, and some tulips. And then, right smack dab in the middle, there was a trio of white roses. How did I know this? Easy. The tag was still wrapped around the plastic. I'm not a flower expert; no way would I have known that without help.

"My god, Fang," I gaped, "I . . . I don't know what to say."

He smiled at me. Gosh, that smile could turn the darkest room into one huge window. The light just pours out. "Don't say anything," Fang said too softly for it to be normal, but he has his way with words.

Don't ask what happened next. Actually, you could probably guess. Let's just say that Hollywood would have been put to shame by that make out scene. Did I just say that? I mean, uh. . . .

Somewhere in the distance, I heard the front door open. I pushed Fang off of me and jumped up, stopping by the mirror to make sure I was presentable. Fang shook his head, his already messy hair looking somewhat more normal. We jogged down the hallway and down the stairs. He grabbed my waist right before we entered the main room and smiled wickedly.

"I still say that today is my birthday," he chuckled before he pulled me into him. Fang pressed his lips against mine, and who am I to refuse him? What can I say? Hormones get the best of me sometimes. His breath lingered on my neck for the longest time. I could still feel the warmth of his kiss on my lips as we stood there.

"Max! Fang! We're home!" Nudge called from the main room.

Fang and I scrambled to meet them. The girls were carrying small bags with hearts on them, each of their cheeks painted with hearts as well. The Gasman's hair still sparkled red from the glitter incident earlier.

"Hey guys," I said casually. "How was it?"

"Oh, Max, it was so much fun! They had music and streamers and balloons and treat bags and–"

I looked away and Nudge finally stopped. "It was really nice," Gazzy said. Iggy shrugged and went over to the couch.

Angel smiled sweetly at me, but that was before the smirk came. "Did _you_ have fun, Max?" she whispered with a snicker.

I blushed and shook my head. What? Me? Fang? Kissing? No, where would you get that idea? It was more like a make out session, but no one's keeping record, am I right? Please say I am.

"Here, Max," Gazzy mumbled, shoving a heart-shaped box at me.

I looked down at the fancy gold lettering. "Chocolates? Thanks, Gaz, that's so sweet of you."

He smiled and walked away. I opened the box, and was about to pick one up when Fang grabbed my wrist.

"What?" I questioned him. He nodded in the direction of the box. That's when I finally noticed the shape of the chocolates, or should I say invertebrates? For all of you who didn't pay attention in science class, maybe you should, because maybe you could have caught my possible mistake.

Now, you're probably wondering how chocolates could possibly be an invertebrate, heck, it's not even a living thing. The thing is, I don't think they were really chocolates. So, I have one question. Is a worm a type of invertebrate?

I wrinkled my nose in disgust. "Gazzy!" I shouted, dropping the worm-filled box onto the ground. The kids all began to laugh, and I did too eventually.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Fang," I said, trying to muffle my laughs. "Have a chocolate covered worm. I insist."

He chuckled and kissed my forehead. "How 'bout you just kiss me instead?"

I looked over at the rest of the flock. They were either too busy laughing or watching TV. "Come here, you," I murmured, grabbing Fang by the collar and pulling him into me. What can I say? Valentine's Day is kind of crazy around here. Between the worms and Fang, I think I'm set for the rest of the decade.

_Oh well,_ I thought and I kissed Fang again, kicking the box of so called chocolates out of the way.

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_Okay...I know that this is so not the season for Valentine's Day stories, but I just felt like writing this one. xD And yes, I did avoid that make out scene...I didn't feel like writing it, ok? By the way, this isn't based off of a song. It's just a burst of energy.  
_

_Thanks for the reviews, alerts, and favorites you guys! _

_- Saz_


	4. Sleeping Arrangements

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride or the song this story is based off of.**

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I glanced down at the ground from the air, scanning the land for what I was looking for. The kids were literally seconds from falling from the sky. They had their heads down, each downward flap looking like a monstrous task. 

"There's one."

My heart skipped a beat. I had zoned out, and his voice had startled me, like I'd let him know that, though.

Fang tilted the tips of his feathers and coasted along side me. "Should we get a couple rooms then?" he asked.

I nodded and angled my wings down. "'Kay guys," I shouted over the wind. "We're going to get a hotel tonight. Let's land."

The relief just rolled off of the rest of the flock. It was like I had just lifted a ten ton weight off of their shoulders. We glided down to the ground, tucking in our wings before touching down behind the hotel.

Before we went into the lobby, I made sure they knew the rules. "No running around, stay put, don't say anything, and wait for Fang and me to get back before you decided to go anywhere." They nodded, and we walked through the revolving doors. The kids, Iggy, and Total dropped like dead weights onto the lobby furniture.

Fang and I, well, mainly me, went up to the front desk. I put on my best smile. "His, can I get two adjoining double rooms for tonight?"

The receptionist lady looked down through her oversized glasses lenses at the computer screen. "No, I'm sorry, we don't have two adjoining doubles available," she said with a frown. "But I can give you three rooms. There's an adjoining double and single with another double across the hall. Would that be okay?"

I glanced back at Fang. He shrugged and shoved his ands into his pockets. "Yeah, I guess that's okay."

She returned to her computer, and the keys on the keyboard clicked against her finger nails. "Okay," she finally said, looking up. "You're all set. Here are your keys. Please enjoy your stay."

Fang and I ambled back to the flock, and I gave them the low down on rooming arrangements. "Okay, who wants to room with who?"

Nudge raised her hand, waving it wildly. "Oh, oh! I want to room with Angel!"

"I want to room with Iggy," the Gasman said coolly.

I sighed. "Okay, okay, Angel and Nudge can have the single. Gazzy and Iggy, you guys can share the double across the hall as long as you don't turn anything into explosives, got it?"

The boys nodded. "But Angel and I were going to do something! Can't we have the room that's connected to theirs?" Gazzy pleaded.

"Um . . ." Hmm, what should I do?

"Sure," Fang muttered from behind me. "Max and I'll take the one across the hall." He pried the card keys from my still hands. "Take the stairs up to your rooms and go to bed soon." Everybody shook their heads greedily and headed up to their rooms after Fang handed them their keys.

I stared at Fang for the longest time, not knowing what to say or what to expect. We finally stopped gaping at each other and headed for the stairs.

After checking on the kids briefly, I walked back into the room with Fang trailing behind me. When I walked into the room, you don't know how relieved I was. Ah, yes, two beds, and thank goodness there was a shower. I catapulted myself onto the closest bed and buried my face into the mattresses' and blanket's softness. "I've got dibs on this one," I sighed into a pillow.

"Hope you're willing to share," Fang said in disgust. I picked myself up and looked over at him. He was inspecting the other bed. "There's something on this one, and I'm not about to figure out what it is."

I hopped off of my bed and peeked over his shoulder. Sure enough, the blankets were stained with something yellow and then some clear stuff that was caked on. I wrinkled my nose, totally repulsed. "Well, someone really needs to fire the cleaning lady," I snorted.

"You got that right," Fang muttered.

I sat back down on my bed, clutching a pillow to my chest. "Well, I'm gonna go take a shower, and you decide what's going to happen."

"I'm going in after you!" I heard Fang shout as I closed the bathroom door.

The moment that water hit my back, I felt a shard of ice melt from my chest, along with an ugly layer of dirt. I massaged my head with the hotel's two-in-one, putting great use to the rise, lather, and repeat steps. When I finally stepped out of the shower, I took a deep breath, feeling revived. After wrapping a few towels around me, I carefully opened the door at walked out.

Fang barely lifted his head as I came out of the bathroom. He grabbed his own clothes and went into the bathroom, locking the door behind him. With Fang not in the room, I got dressed. I slid into a pair of baggy, black sweat pants and a short sleeved shirt that hugged my waist just a little too much. Seeing as the TV was practically calling my name, I switched the thing on and kicked back to watch a show.

Ten minutes later, Fang came out of the bathroom, fresh smelling, fully clothed, hair still dripping wet. Now I was the one staring at him. I couldn't help it. He just looked so . . . appealing with his hair plastered to his face, his skin bright, and his eyes so rich. Times like these, I wish I could speak.

"So, when you're done gawking," he coughed, sending me a smirk, "we still need to discuss sleeping arrangements."

I shook my head and focused on something else. "Right," I mumbled. He came over and sat on the corner of my bed. "You could always just sleep here, you know," I suggested hesitantly. "I mean, there's plenty of room, but you don't have to if you're not comfortable with it."

He was silent. "Nah, I'll just sleep on the floor."

I looked over at him. He had his head down, hair making a curtain over his face. I have a couple words for that: breathtaking. Or is that one word? Oh, who cares? It gets my point across.

"Fang, you're not sleeping on the floor," I told him. He didn't move. "We haven't had a good night's rest in . . . since . . . It's been a while, okay?" Still no movement from the Fang department, isn't that just peachy? "Look, I'll be fine. There's plenty of room see?" I lay down on one side of the bed just to prove it. "See? There's plenty of room for both of us."

What the hell. Of all times Fang chooses to be quiet, it's now when we've got some major decision making to do. I swear the only thing that makes me keep this guy around is his brains. No, it's not just his looks. Okay, I'll admit, Fang is a decently good looking guy, but it's not like I'm drooling over him. He has determination, smarts, and a heck of a lot more. His looks are just an added bonus, I guess you could say.

Of course, I also hate that he has this quiet streak. It's, like, a killer silence, and that's when I start to get ticked. When Fang just sits and goes all silent when I need him to answer something, yeah, expect me to get mad. So, yeah, right now, I flip.

"Okay, then, fine!" I shouted, pushing him off the bed. He landed on the ground and looked up at me innocently. "Sleep on the floor. See how much I care." I yanked the blankets over my head and pressed my face into the pillow.

It was silent for a few minutes, and I was suddenly feeling bad for yelling at Fang. He didn't deserve me yelling at him for something as stupid as that. I was about to apologize when I felt him slide onto the other side of the bed. Just as I flipped over on the bed to face him, he drew up the comforter.

"Look," I sighed, "I'm really sorry for yelling at you. I freaked over nothing. Forgive me?"

Fang was speechless for what seemed like hours. "All the time," he said with a smile. Of course, when Fang smiles I have to smile back.

I turned back over and faced the other wall and closed my eyes. Just before I finally started to drift off to sleep, I felt Fang slip an arm around my waist.

"What are you doing?" I asked him groggily. I turned my tried to turn my shoulders toward him so I could see.

Fang pressed up against me, and I naturally shaped myself to fit with him more comfortably, which still felt odd. He rested his cheek on mine as he spoke. "Saying good night," he whispered. I felt his lips touch my forehead with much delicacy. "'Night, Max," he said softly after kissing my forehead again.

I lay there, being as still as possible. "'Night, Fang," I mumbled.

I half expected Fang to stay by me with his arm around me the whole night, but he soon rolled over onto his side of the bed, facing the opposite direction. A million thoughts went running through my head at once. For one, I was sleeping in the same bed with my best friend. Two, my best friend just kissed me good night. And three, well, you can fill in the blank.

With a sigh, I rolled over again to face in the same direction as Fang. I pulled my body against the contour of his back and draped my arm over his chest. My head was resting right behind his, and I inhaled the fresh scent of his hair. Fang gently took my hand and his and kissed my fingertips. I let one last sigh before closing my eyes. This would be a great sleep.

* * *

**Okay, I really don't know what to say now. I don't have any updates for you 'cept that chapter 5 is up for Midnight Morning...Anyway, I think I may do another short one along the same lines as this one. Hotel/Motel situations. It would basically have the same plot line as this one, just a few different sets of dialogue in some areas. Like an alternate ending.**

**Well, since I've got nothing more to say, I'll just say thank you all for reading and extra thanks to those who are also reading Midnight Morning! **

**Thank you, and please review!**

**- Saz **


	5. Who I Am

**This is Max Ride based. It takes place from Alpha's point of view. Alpha is my own character.**

**I do not own Maximum Ride!**

* * *

Who am I? What am I? I could never answer those questions. Why? Because, you see, I am not like you. No. Individuality has nothing to do with this. The only way that you and I are alike is that we share some of the same human DNA. I say some and human and DNA because I am not completely human, at least that is what I have been told. They have convinced me, or tried to, that I am an anomaly, a break in scientific studies. I am a living nightmare, a Frankenstein, if you will. 

So, what am I do you ask? Well, my friends, if I could call you that, I am nothing that your sane minds could adjust to. Although, seeing as most humans in this world are either corrupt or part of some conspiracy, I may as well tell you who or what I am. Curious? Do you want to know? How bad do you want it?

My biological name is Eric, and for those of you who use last names in this world, I suppose mine would be Drive. That's what I heard from the scientists. Oh, these aren't your average scientists. Chemicals and test tubes aren't enough for these guys. They just had to get into embryology, genetics, physiology, and ornithology. That's right. You heard me. Ornithology, the study of birds, and that's what makes these guys not so average. You see, they don't just do one or two of those things. They do all four . . . in a single project. And if you haven't guessed it, I am one of those projects.

How did I come to be like this? I'll tell you, I wasn't born to a normal family. I can hardly say I was born at all. From what I've heard, well, not actually heard, but I'll explain that later. For as long as I could remember, the world has been dark, enclosed, and full of pain. The stench of chemicals, anticipant, ammonia and other unidentifiable scents lingered dreadfully in the stale air.

I may be mostly human, but they treated me like the experiment and plaything I was. They stored me in a cage, a large dog kennel. The metal bars that enclosed me reeked with the foul scent of rot and decay. When they would feed me, if you could call that crap food, they'd just shove the tray through a slit in the bottom, like I would kill them if they touched me. There was never a time when I was content. A void was always eating away at my soul, and my stomach was never full. Had I known what suicide was at that young age, it would have been a wondrous break.

By the time I was seven or eight, somewhere around there if those scientists were correct, I had realized that I wasn't alone in that cold world. There were others in cages like mine, but were they like me? The two extra accessories on my back were also apparent on theirs. I knew that we were different from the men in the long white lab coats. Their backs were bare, where as ours were not. These three other children in the room with me all seemed the same age, though younger than me. Had I known how to speak properly, I would have tried to communicate with them, but I sensed that we were all too frightened to utter a single syllable.

The tests they did on me and those other kids were horrible. Those freaks of adults would take us one at a time into a room. I know that they would stick me with needles, poke at me with stinging sticks, and make me run until my lungs burned, and I imagined that they did the same to them too. One of the kids, a dark haired boy, never cried, never whimpered, never made a sound. He was a lot like me, I guess. We always seemed to be tested for the same amount of time. The girl was always being tested and examined for long periods of time. Then the other boy, who had sort of blondish hair, was in there for a while, but after a few days, he seemed less important to the scientists.

Over the course of a few months, I found that my head would be pounding in pain sometimes. I held my head in between my hands, afraid that if I let go my head would explode. It was when this started happening that the scientists began show extra interest in me. They attached these wires to my chest and my temples and hooked me up to this machine that beeped and made colored waves on a screen. Then they would hook me up to another thing that would send these impulses through me that would make me jump.

It was soon after that when I started hearing these voices in my head. I tried to clamp my hands over my ears to make the voices stop, but they never did. After a few weeks of agony, I learned how to tune the voices out of my head, and I ignored them.

One day, while I was resting in my crate, the scientists ripped me out of there. The held me in the testing room where they checked me to see if I had changed at all, I would guess. When they brought me back to the room, my old dog kennel was gone. In its place was an even bigger enclosure. It could have held three of me. There was this piece of fabric in it that was really soft and warm, and then there was this soft thing that was kind of fluffy. I could finally stretch out the things on my back, and boy, did it feel really good.

The things were each as tall as me, and there were two. Both of them felt amazingly soft, and they were light. It made me smile when I touched them because made me feel happy, like there was a chance at hope or something. These things, whatever they were, were this extraordinarily dark color, but I could see this other color in them too sometimes. They were kind of like that one kid's, the dark haired boy. His were this profusely dark shade, like mine.

Just as I thought about him, he appeared with the scientists. They held his arms behind his back in a painful manner. I hadn't noticed it, but they had stopped, and he stared at me in my new cage. It was like I could feel, no, I could _hear_ the anger and distaste he had for me. He glared at me with his dark eyes.

That was when I heard a voice that sounded unfamiliar, which was also when I realized that it had to be his voice.

_Who died and made him king of the lab?_

I growled in the back of my throat. "Who made you in charge of judging?" I snarled at him as best as I could.

His eyes showed the surprise in my response, but he physically didn't show any sort of reaction.

_How did he know? I didn't say anything._

"How did I know?" I snapped. I had another feeling that he was surprised again. "You were the one who said it, not me. You started this."

The scientists around him seemed to brighten up by our fight. Their eyes lightened up, and they became giddy.

"I didn't say anything," the boy said.

I flinched. This time, I saw his mouth moving. The actual sound that came from him sounded ever so slightly different than the voice I had heard from him just moments before. "If you didn't say anything, then how . . . ?"

Before I could finish, the scientists shoved the boy into his crate, and dragged me out of mine. They ran a series of tests unlike any I'd had done before. These weren't painful, but they seemed stupid. This guy kept asking me questions and asking me to concentrate on his thoughts. At first, I had been ballistic. How can I concentrate on his thoughts? They were in his head, not mine. Ironically enough, that was when I heard it. I heard the scientist's thoughts. I jumped back in shock.

It all started to come to me in bursts of mental images and voices. The sounds of the scientists, the voices, their thoughts all totaled up. Reality had come and stabbed me in the gut. I gripped my stomach and doubled over. What kind of sick world was this place? What kind of people did this to children? What drove them to do this to us?

It was then that I swore that I would get back at them for doing this to me and those other kids. I'd have to be smart about it, though. I would play innocent and dumb.

"Who am I?" I quietly asked the man in the room with me.

He looked over at me and smiled pleasantly. "Well, we would call you Experiment 0190, but you're other experiment brand name is Accelerated Legerity Preternatural Hamilton Avian."

I wrinkled my nose in confusion, or at least I was confused for about half a second, but he wouldn't get the satisfaction of knowing that I'd already figured it out.

"A.L.P.H.A. stands for what you are," the scientist told me. "Well, more so what you will become." He glanced down at me, and I faked the reaction he would have expected from someone. Once he was sure I was only half baffled, he continued with his explanation of who I was to the scientists.

He didn't need to explain to me. I already knew. This new ability I had, as he called it, allowed me to enter the minds of these people, or anyone I wanted. All I had to do was practice, and I'd have this whole mind thing under control.

"And that's why you are so important to us, especially myself and the man behind your creation," he finally finished. I looked up. "Professor Hamilton is the scientist who grafted the avian DNA into your embryo, thus being the reason you are here to this day. Isn't that incredible?"

I nodded my head solemnly. What this man didn't know was that I was already plotting my revenge on them. Some of you may be thinking, okay, this kid's only eight. How can he even think about revenge? Let me tell you, when you find out why your life has been so horrible for the first eight years of your life and you know that you're not going any where any time soon, you mature quickly. Plus, the geniuses behind my existence didn't know what they had unleashed. My mind started making calculations, brilliant equations for my age, but child's play for me. I'd noticed that I was beyond their intelligence, and I was a prodigy in the making.

The man lead me back to my enclosure, and the moment I sat down, I decided that I would go along with his plans. After all, I knew what the man was planning on doing in two years' time. He would spring us all from this place, make us think that he had saved us, and then make us save the world from something. My mind drifted back to what the scientist had told me.

_Accelerated Legerity Preternatural Hamilton Avian._

"A, l, p, h, a," I repeated the letters in my head. Well, this is who he said I was going to become, so there it was. "Alpha," I whispered, enjoying the sound of the word. I picked up a book that the scientists had put in my enclosure, a dictionary. After flipping through the pages, I discovered that it really was a word in the English language.

I read the definition out loud to myself. "The first letter of the Greek alphabet," I mumbled. That didn't do me any good. What was Greek? I'd have to read on to find out, but I kept on reading on about this _alpha_ thing.

When I had finished reading all of the definitions, I decided that there were two that I found that defined me the best. I read them both in a whisper, as if this was a secret that I needed to keep. "The first, beginning," I breathed with pride. "Being the most prominent, talented, or aggressive person in a group–" I closed the book and my eyes.

I propped the pillow up under my head and pulled the blanket over my waist, which I had learned what they were called. Then, I opened up a biology book nearby and flipped it open to a random page. There was a picture of a bird. What struck me the most was the pair of things coming out of its back. They were wings. Now, the objects on my back had a name too, wings.

After setting that book over in the corner, I closed my eyes.

_I am an experiment. I am a monster. I am a freak. I am brilliance. I am defiance. I am great, the ultimate, I am Alpha. This is who I am._

* * *

**Well, this doesn't directly have any of Max Ride's usual characters in it. Well, actually, if you really think about it, you can name three, possibly four characters.**

**Anyway, this may turn into a series. If enough people like the idea of Alpha, my character, I may take this chapter and make it the first one in a story. Actually, it would make a lot of sense. This could be sort of like pre-Code Name Alpha, one of my other stories. Regardless, Alpha isn't going any where. He's my character, and he's here to stay!**

**Please review and tell me what you think about the the story idea. Oh, and it won't be all description and no dialogue all the time. That was just the best way I thought I could express Alpha's side of the story here.**

**- Saz**


	6. Author's Note

Really sorry everyone. Especially the people who have this story on alert. Really sorry for the false chapter. 

I'm leaving tomorrow for vacation and I will have limited to no internet access for about a week and a half, so there obviously won't be any updates. Really sorry folks. But I'll have a lot of stuff ready for ya when I get back late next week!

Ya know what would be a really awesome welcome back present? More reviews. Tell your friends, review on chapters you didn't review on in the past. I'd be really happy to see that when I come back.

Well, see ya in a week!

- Saz


	7. Animal I Have Become

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride or the song in this fic.**

* * *

My name is Ari, and I'm a complete and total monster. I'm an Eraser, a human lupine hybrid. No, I'm nothing like a werewolf. Werewolves have it made compared to me. Hell is only one word to describe my life. If you had to live in my shoes for just one day, you would kill yourself. I would know. I've tried.

_I can't escape this hell  
So many times I've tried_

Yet, here I stand, still alive, not dead yet. I'm stuck here in this place. The real world would never accept me, and this world that I have to live in I can't accept. I need help, somebody to help me survive. I need someone to help me get through this nightmare that is my life, but they never could. I can't control my actions. Never have been able to, and I never will.

_But I'm still caged inside  
Somebody get me through this nightmare  
I can't control myself_

But who cares if you can see past the dark side of me? Even if someone could see through my anger and hate, they can't change who I am. No one, not even you, can change this . . . animal I've become. Nobody can save me from the animal I am.

_So what if you can see the darkest side of me?  
No one will ever change this animal I have become_

You can try, though, to make me think that it's not me who's doing this. I have fought and almost killed multiple living things. Honestly, this isn't who I wanted to be. I had no choice. They did this to me. This monster isn't the real me, but I'm starting to lose hope in that lie. Somebody, anybody, please, help me take control of the animal inside of me. Help me tame this animal.

_Help me believe it's not the real me  
Somebody help me tame this animal_

Face it, you can't help me. How can you help me when I can't even help myself? I've tried again and again to deny what I have become. More than once I've tried to escape from a prison that has become me. I've lied to myself so many times, saying that there is hope for me, but there never is. There never was any hope for me.

_I can't escape myself  
So many times I've lied._

Even if I accept that there's nothing for me to look forward to, that there's no way to change me, I'm never pleased. There's always going to be this anger and resentment stored inside of me. It's like the rage was imbedded into my genes, and it will always be inside of me, no matter what I do. Oh, please, if someone can help me, please, please, do your best and try! I'm living my own nightmare, and I can't control what will happen next in this game of life or death.

_But there's still rage inside  
Somebody get me through this nightmare  
I can't control myself_

What's the point in asking for help? Who cares if you're insightful enough to look beyond my horrid looks and deathly feel? Not even I can change what I've become. You can't make me believe what's right in front of me. I'm an animal, an animal! Try as much as you want, but you'll never tame me. Never. Not even I can do it, and if I can't, no one can. Don't even try to tame this animal in me, even if I plead for your assistance. More than anything, though, I want help. I don't want to be this animal. I want to be free! I want someone to help me tame this animal.

_So what if you can see the darkest side of me?  
No one will ever change this animal I have become  
Help me believe it's not the real me  
Somebody help me tame this animal I have become  
Help me believe it's not the real me  
Somebody help me tame this animal  
_

I want someone to reach out and help me. This nightmare that I'm living in, I don't know how much longer I can live through it. The more I think about, the more enraged I get, and I can't control what I do. I've hurt so many innocent lives when I lose my temper. Somebody needs to wake me up! I don't want to be a murderer. I don't want to hurt people. I don't want to live like this, but I can't get out. I've been in too deep since I was born. This was hell I was born into, and there's no escape for me or anyone else who gets involved.

_Somebody help me through this nightmare  
I can't control myself  
Somebody wake me from this nightmare  
I can't escape this hell  
_

I'm torn between life and death. I am pure darkness, and some of you have been unfortunate enough to experience this dark side. No one can change who I am, though. It's impossible. Do what you want. Help try to convince me that this vicious animal inside isn't really me. Go ahead, try to tame the beast, but you'll never be able to do it.

_So what if you can see the darkest side of me?  
No one will ever change this animal I have become  
Help me believe it's not the real me  
Somebody help me tame this animal I have become  
Help me believe it's not the real me  
Somebody help me tame this animal._

It's too late. No one could help me. No one would have wanted to anyway. I was forcibly changed into this monster, and there was never a chance at changing that. I wish I could say sorry for the people who tried to help me, but you couldn't have saved me. Nobody could ever have saved me from the animal I had become. You can't save someone from death when it's already too late.

_This animal I have become_

**Okay, a bit different for me. I usually don't literally put the lyrics of songs into song fics...or song inspired fics in my case. But I felt like being different today.**

**I've had the idea for this quickie for a while now. Actually, it's been a few weeks, and I just haven't had the time or brain power to physically type it out. xD**

**Song is Animal I Have Become by Three Days Grace. It's a really great song. I chose Ari to go with this fic because, well, Ari never gets any attention, and because I didn't think this song fit any of the flock members as well as Ari. He was actually the first character that came to mind when I thought about putting this song into story format. So there you go. One of the many methods to my madness.**

**Really sorry for not posting anything here anytime sooner. I know I've had that Author's note up since mid/late March and now it's April...Really sorry again.**

**Still...reviews would still be nice! :D**

**- Saz**


	8. We're Not Strangers pt 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride or the song in this fic.**

* * *

Max and I had been on our own for a few weeks now. Her mom― aka Mrs. Martinez― had agreed to watch the rest of the flock while the two of us were out scouting a new place to call home. Bless her. I don't know how she can watch all four of them, Total, and Ella all at once. That woman is down right amazing.

As of right now, Max and I were settling down for the night at some fairly decent hotel/motel we found somewhere east of the Mississippi. For all of those wondering, my relationship with Max is . . . interesting to say the least. Gosh, I know that I love her, and I'm more than sure that she feels the same, but who would have known this whole relationship thing could be so hard! I mean, it's hard for us to be together, to love each other the way we want to because of the flock. It's just awkward, honestly, and with Mrs. Martinez around so often, geez, we're talking major freak out here. Still, as hard as it is for us to act like there's nothing going on between us, it's even harder to just say we're only friends.

_It might be hard to be lovers,  
But it's harder to be friends_

But tonight, with just the two of us together, that's all going to change. We've been avoiding this for too many years too long to put it off any longer.

"Are you going to sleep any time soon?" I heard Max call from the other room.

I poked my head out of the small bathroom. "Yeah, I'll be in there in a minute. Do me a favor and pull the blankets down," I said with a toothbrush sticking out of the corner of my mouth. With the cold water from the sink still running, I splashed my face a little bit before rising once more. After thoroughly drying my face with a towel, I switched off the light and walked out into the main room.

Max was sitting on top of the blankets on the bed, a novel in her hands. She was taking up a bit of space there in the middle of the bed.

"Move over, Max," I coaxed her. "Let me in under the blankets. I want to get at least some sleep."

_Baby, pull down the covers  
It's time you let me in_

She quirked a smile and returned to her book, ignoring me. I rolled my eyes and went over to our bag on the desk next to the TV. In there, I found a small candle and a lighter. With a shrug, I grabbed a ceramic plate and put the candle in front of the mirror and lit it. What the heck, I figured, light a couple candles. The place won't burn down.

Max watched me light the light the candle, and I headed for the door and locked it. As I walked back to the bed, Max set her book on the nightstand and looked up at me expectantly. I stood there for a minute, watching her watch me.

"Hello, beautiful," I whispered, "how was your day?"

"It was fine," she said, playing along. "It's about to get a little better, though."

I grinned as I brought the corner of the blanket down so I could slide in next to her under the covers. If I was lucky, we would spend the next while just talking until we weren't strangers to each other anymore.

_Maybe light a couple candles  
I'll just go ahead and lock the door  
If you just talk to me baby  
Till we ain't strangers anymore_

* * *

Fang and I talked for a while. We could talk for hours on end when the time was right. Normally, I would have sat there right beside him for even longer, had I not forgotten to brush my teeth. I crawled out of bed, trailing my fingers on the blankets as I walked around the bed to get to the bathroom. He watched my every movement as I sashayed by in front of him.

Hurriedly, I scrubbed my teeth with the toothbrush that we shared. After one last check to make sure that I had rinsed off all of the toothpaste, I bounded out of the bathroom to go back to him. I dropped myself back onto my side of the bed and sat down next to him. Fang laid his head on my pillow, gazing up at me like the way that I was gazing down on him.

"Is there anything else you want to say?" he asked me.

I smiled, lying down next to him. "What do you want me to say?"

He sat up a little more, propping himself up onto his side and resting on his arm. His bare chest was exposed, and I could feel myself want him even more.

"I don't know," he said, smiling when he noticed me looking at him, "something that we haven't said yet."

"It's coming, just wait," I assured him. Now I caught him watching me. My shoulders were nearly bare, with just a tank top on with a deep neckline. That was how we stayed for the next ten or so minutes, our eyes traveling over every inch of each other.

_Lay your head on my pillow  
I sit beside you on the bed  
Don't you think its time we say  
Some things we haven't said_

I could have sat there all night just looking at Fang, and I know he would do the same to me if he could. There was no doubt in my mind that he wanted me, and I wanted him, too. We were just too happy together for us not to love each other. Both of us knew what we wanted, but usually we were too tired or we could never just be alone long enough for us to even talk.

"Let's go back," I said abruptly.

Fang tilted his head to the side. "Go back to where? Your mom's house?"

"No," I said, shaking my head, "let's go back to that place we were at."

"You mean Nebraska?" he asked, trying to figure out what I meant.

With a laugh, I playfully smacked him in the head. "No, Fang," I sighed, "let's go back to where we were before. You know, like, the last time we went out like this."

His eyes lit up. "Oh, that place." Fang kissed my hand. "I want to go back too."

I let out a relieved sigh, joking with him even more. He took my hand in his, and I held on gently. Fang looked at me, and I looked back at him. For the next while, this would be all we would do, just look at each other. He would look at me, and I'd looked at him until we weren't strangers anymore.

_It ain't too late to get back to that place  
Back to where, we thought it was before  
Why don't you look at me  
Till we ain't strangers anymore_

* * *

**Okay...I am officially on a SONG FIC SPREE! xD This is part one...meaning there's TWO parts to this story. -snort- I'd post the whole thing, but it'd, like, huge. I mean, it's big already, but this is seriously only half of the story. o.o**

**The song is 'Till We Ain't Strangers Anymore by Bon Jovi featuring LeAnn Rimes. I thought this song would be just perfect for a nice, romantic Fax fic. So...did I choose a good song or did I choose a good song? lol**

**Anyway...next half coming up...once I get back from dinner! :D**

**- Saz**


	9. We're Not Strangers pt 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride or the song in this fic.**

* * *

In the past, it was hard for me to like myself, let alone Fang. How can I love someone if I don't even think I'm worth the time? I was always so focused on trying to be the best that I never noticed, or wanted to notice, what Fang was going through. He put up with me for so long, and I have no idea how he did it. After things calmed down for all of us, I finally had some time to just sit and think about what I wanted out of my life. At first, I went crazy. There was never any real danger and Mom would help take care of us.

Once I got past all of the perks of living a semi-normal life, my hormones started to get the best of me, I guess I could say. It was hard for me to accept that I had anything more than brother-sister feelings for Fang. I mean, how do you fall in love with the same person you've lived with as siblings for your whole life? It was kind of weird, okay, really weird. Even now, it's hard to love Fang when we're not alone. I keep thinking about the rest of the flock and what they would think.

Even with my doubts, Fang has been so supportive of me. He knows that I'm not so sure about us with the others around. I love him so much, and I know that he loves me too, but it's hard sometimes. They, meaning poets and speakers, say that love can pull you through anything. It's still hard to believe that. I hardly believe that I'm good enough for Fang to begin with, but we can make it. We will make it.

_Sometimes it's hard to love me_  
_Sometimes it's hard to love you too  
I know it's hard believing  
That love can pull us through._

It would be so easy for Fang just to walk out on me. He could leave at any time, really. I don't know why he chose me over everyone else. To me, it just seems like it would be easier for him to live on the side of us. If he ever wanted to leave, he'd be able to just get up and go like that. He'd have one foot out the door, ready to leave when he lost interest, and it'd be simple for him to just walk out when he wanted to.

_It would be so easy  
To live your life  
With one foot out the door_

But I know that Fang would never do that to me. He knows what he means to me, and I know what I mean to him. Fang would never leave me, and I wouldn't even think about leaving him. We made a promise to each other. We'd never leave each other alone. That promise was made at least five years ago when the girls and I met up with Fang and the rest of the flock after splitting up for the first time. Since then, we'd never split up.

Yeah, we'd had our rocky times where we'd get ticked and fly off for a day or two just to be able to cool off, but we always knew where the other was.

My mind traveled back to the present, where I was pressed up against Fang back in the hotel room bed. I had my back to him, and his arm was wrapped protectively around my waist. The heat that radiated from his body kept my back warm. Distantly, I could smell the cologne that he had put on earlier today, and I inhaled the scent, enjoying the way it still tingled my nose.

Fang lightly kissed my neck and jaw repeatedly with the utmost delicacy. "Is there anything you want me to do before I turn off the lights?" he asked me.

"No," I sighed, "just don't let go of me after that."

I felt him smile against my skin. "That can be arranged," he whispered to me in a low voice that sent chills down my spine.

And that's all I did want from him right now. All I wanted was for him to hold me, like the way he was right now. That was it, just for him to hold me until there was no restrictions or barriers between us.

_Just hold me baby  
'Till we ain't strangers anymore_

* * *

I unwrapped my arm from around Max's waist and quickly turned off all of the lights, blowing out the candle before I crawled back into bed. It was pitch black in the room, and a normal person wouldn't be able to see six inches in front of their face. Luckily for me, I have heightened vision, so I could see Max as clear as day, like I knew she could see me. Funny how regular people need so much light and couldn't find anything with the lights turned out, and yet, I could find everything and more just fine.

Wow, I can only imagine what it takes to find forgiveness in the dark. I mean, it's hard for people to find the strength to say sorry when the problem is right in front of them, let alone when they can't walk three steps without tripping over their own feet. It must be pretty hard to apologize, too. With Max, I can read her face, expressions, and even her body language. I wonder if it's the same for just plain old people. Can they say what's wrong or right just by reading a person? Thanks to that deep connection I have with Max, I almost always know how she's feeling, which is a really great thing to be able to do when the girl you love is feeling under the weather.

_It's hard to find forgiveness  
When we just turn out the light  
It's hard to say you're sorry  
When you can't tell wrong from right._

It would be just so simple for Max to look the other way and not at me. She could easily make it on her own in the world, and I think she'd fare pretty well if she and I weren't together. There isn't a doubt in my mind that thinks that Max could easily find somebody else if I couldn't provide for her, which is why I try so hard to make her happy. Seeing any other guy with her seems wrong. No, it is wrong. Still, she could so easily keep score of how many people she attracts. It's hardly fair.

I know that Max wouldn't dream of doing that, though. We're in this pretty deep. Max is my world now, and I'd do anything for her. She's everything I could have wanted and more. Before Max, I never really believed that there was any meaning or purpose in my life except to just live as a mutant freak, but since Max and I have gotten together, it's like there's a reason to get up in the morning.

"Is there anything that you want, Fang?" Max asked me suddenly.

My mouth wouldn't allow me to say what I wanted, but if she thought about it and read me like she does, she would know. There were so many things I wanted from Max and twice as many things that I wanted to give to her, but right now, there was really only that one thing that I wanted. I just wanted to get right down to doing it. There was no reason for me to lie to her. I'd hurt both of us by lying, and she would be able to see right through any lie I could throw her way.

_It would be so easy  
To spend your whole damn life  
Just keeping score  
So let's get down to it baby  
There ain't no need to lie_

"Fang," Max whispered, "who do you see when you look in my eyes?"

I kissed the corner of her lips. "I see everything. I see a beautiful young woman. I see the person I love more than life itself, and I see my future."

She shifted so that she could see my face, to see if I was being serious. I'd never been so determined and serious about something in my life. Max was my future.

"What do you see in me?" I asked in return.

She reached around and draped her arm over my head, and kissed me passionately. "The same," she answered. "I want you to stay with me forever."

_Tell me who you think you see,  
When you look into my eyes._

So, there we go. I reached behind me onto the bed side table on my side of the bed and pulled out a black velvet box. Max's eyes started to tear up before I even had a chance to say anything.

"Max, my beautiful, beautiful, Max, will you stay by my side and so I can love you until the end of time? Will you marry me?"

She nodded her head, trying to choke back the unruly tears that were on the verge of coming out of her heavenly eyes. "Yes, yes," she cried, kissing me again, "I will."

I slid the ring onto her finger. It wasn't anything too fancy, just what I could afford. The white gold band was just what I knew that she wanted. I wish I could savor the look on her face when she finally caught sight of the three small diamonds that were placed on the top of the ring. Max turned and flipped the lamp on, and her eyes grew wider. She blinked again and again, trying to convince herself that it was true.

"Oh, Fang," she sighed, "it's amazing."

I smiled, happy that she was pleased. "I'm glad you like it," I said, kissing her ring finger where the engagement ring sat.

"Like it, oh, Fang, I absolutely love it!" she cried with excitement.

Max kissed me over and over again. This was the way we should be, perfectly happy and together. We were better off together than apart, and all of the other broken little details could be left far, far behind.

_Lets put our two hearts back together  
And we'll leave the broken pieces on the floor_

"I love you, Fang," Max whispered into my ear. Her lips fluttered against my skin as she spoke, making my heart speed up.

She kissed me again, and I held her body against me as she tangled her hands into my hair. I couldn't breathe that well and was starting to breathe heavily soon enough, but I didn't really care. Max was mine, and would be mine forever. I loved her, and she loved me just as much. We weren't new to this game of love, but with her, this felt more right than anything else. She and I were one of the same, and I loved her enough to know that we'd never be strangers anymore.

_Make love with me baby  
'Till we ain't strangers anymore_

* * *

After Fang showed me the ring, what more could I do? I got as close to him as possible, pressing my self against his lithe frame. Kissing Fang was like tasting heaven. There wasn't anything better than it then heaven itself, and even then there's some competition. His hands traveled down to my waist, and I nearly jumped when I felt his thumb against the elastic of my cut off sweat pants. He smiled and continued to kiss me, as I tried to find the off switch to the lamp without having to turn my back to him.

One thing was for sure, I loved Fang so much. With him there caressing my face and kissing me the way he was, it wasn't so hard to believe what I was doing. My, gosh, this was Fang. I was engaged to him. There wasn't much more I could really say about it, except that by the time tomorrow came, the two of us as strangers would be in the past, the very distant past.

_We're not strangers anymore  
We're not strangers  
We're not strangers anymore_

_

* * *

_

**Okay!! Second half to We're Not Strangers. Told you it'd be long. hehe**

**Remember, the song is 'Till We Ain't Strangers Anymore by Bon Jovi feat. LeAnn Rimes.**

**I, personally, think that some of it sounds suggestive, but seriously, all he wanted to do was pop the question. Whatever you think happens or what happens next is solely up to you to imagine. In my stories, the clothes stay ON. o.o**

**Well, uh, I don't have much more to say, so...enjoy and review!**

**- Saz**


	10. Slipped Away

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride or the song in this fic.**

* * *

It was raining by the time I touched down in the middle of the beach. I'd flown far, far ahead of the rest of my flock, and I had a twinge of regret eating away at me for doing so. But I had my reasons for wanting to be alone, if only for a few minutes.

Fang, my right and left wings, my second in command, my brace, had left us. He'd left me. It had been exactly thirty-three days and counting since he had flown away. The reason he left was stupid. We had gotten ambushed that day by a group of flyboys, and we all got hurt pretty badly. Fang had gotten it the worst. He always had to be everywhere, protecting everybody, especially me. After the attack, we had fought over something stupid. I told him that I didn't need his help, and he said that it didn't matter what I thought.

He said that he'd always help me, no matter what.

But I'd yelled more and said that it would have been better if there was only one of us trying to lead the flock. I guess he took it seriously. He was gone by the time I woke up early the next morning, and every waking moment since then, we'd been searching for him. I can't― I won't let him leave us, leave me, like that.

_I miss you, miss you so bad  
I don't forget you, oh it's so sad_

I screamed, trying to get the horrible memories off of my mind, slamming my fists onto the ground and bawled even harder. The pain wouldn't subdue, and it wouldn't give in to my feeble attempts to forget about him. Every single detail was fresh in my mind.

"Why'd you have to leave?" I yelled out into the stormy sky. "I didn't mean it. Come back. Come back," I sobbed much quieter than before.

In the back of my mind, I prayed that he could hear my apology. I wished that he could hear my plea. More than anything, I wish he would listen.

_I hope you can hear me  
I remember it clearly_

The memories reeled through my head against my will. I remembered all too clearly what had happened that day, the day Fang let go of me.

It was raining after the attack, just like it was today, and we were heading off to the coast to recharge, like I was right now. When I found out that Fang had left, I was still mad at him after our fight. For the next few days, I was impassive about it. So, what, Fang took off. Big deal, he'd be back soon.

I was too wrong. Night after night after that, I cried myself to sleep, if I even slept at all. I'd thought I'd be able to take care of the flock on my own. Fang was just there to be there. I didn't need him. I could do this thing on my own. Now I know that nothing is the same without him.

_The day you slipped away  
Was the day I found it won't be the same_

There was this part of me that so strongly wanted to be able to kiss him again. He'd left me in a broken state, and I craved, I needed, his comfort and support. I didn't even get to kiss him goodbye. If he'd let me do that, the hole in my heart could have been smaller. Not much smaller, but it wouldn't be as painful. As long as I knew that I could touch him, I was okay, but this, this was a different matter.

Oh, how I desired him to be here with me. I would love to just to see him or to catch a glimpse of him so I'd know he was alright. If Fang was happy somewhere else, I guess I could learn to be happy for him. Those thirty-three days without knowing, thirty-three days of agony, I had lost almost all hope, and I hated to admit what I was beginning to think.

He wasn't coming back.

_I didn't get around to kiss you  
Goodbye on the hand  
I wish that I could see you again  
I know that I can't_

The day that Fang left me was the day I found out how hard it was to care for Nudge and Angel while still trying to tell Iggy what was going on. The day Fang left me was when I found out some of the secrets that he and the boys had. The day Fang left was when I started to lose my grasp on reality.

The day he ran away was the day I found that I couldn't live without him.

_I hope you can hear me 'cause I remember it clearly  
The day you slipped away  
Was the day I found it won't be the same_

Now, I realized what I had been denying for so long. Fang left me, but that wasn't it. It was all a series of chances that lead me up to this point. He leaving was my wake up call. He'd been up and ready to admit to things, but I kept hitting the snooze button, so to speak.

Things were in reverse now. It was my turn to be the one facing the truth, and he was the one rolling over, hiding away from what was right. Or maybe he just gave up because of me. Maybe I'd been oblivious for so long that he decided that it wasn't worth the struggle anymore, and now he was back to ignoring the alarm, while I was slowly awakening. Why can't we both wake up at the same time? Why can't we both just see what we're missing?

Why can't we both admit what we've being avoiding?

_I had my wake up  
Won't you wake up  
I keep asking why_

This is it. I don't think I can handle this anymore. I can't take it. There are too many unanswered questions and not enough time to answer them. What Fang and I had was special. It was real. We were both equals in the eyes of the flock. We were literally made for each other, and I was too blind to see that.

Then it was gone. In a flash, it was gone. He was gone. I was alone. We weren't us anymore.

_And I can't take it  
It wasn't fake  
It happened, you passed by_

And now he's gone. Gone, gone, gone. The words echoed in my head like the dead sound of a ticking clock. He's never going to come back. Never, never, never. There's no way that I can bring him back to me now. I must not be a part of him anymore, but he will always be a part of me. One thing is for certain, though.

No matter what I do, I can't get him to come back to me.

_Now you are gone, now you are gone  
There you go, there you go  
Somewhere I can't bring you back_

I grabbed the first object I could find, which happened to be a shell. This brought even more tears to my eyes. A shell. It brought back more memories of Fang, and I couldn't fight this anymore. Fang was gone. He left me. I couldn't make him come back.

I loved him, and now, there was nothing more I could do. My hand was shaking as I drew it and the shell nearer and nearer to my throat. . . .

_Now you are gone, now you are gone  
There you go, there you go,  
Somewhere you're not coming back_

Somewhere in the distance, I could hear the shouts and cries from my flock. I heard the screams of horror from my family, but not my whole family.

I ignored them, and slowly, ever so slowly, pressed the shell to my skin.

"Max! Max!" I heard them call, begging me to stop, but I didn't hear them, not enough for me to react.

At first, it stung when the shell broke through my skin, but I felt all of my pain seep out through my wound and the blood began to flow out.

"Max, oh god, Max!" someone else called in an angel's voice. It was a distant voice, but it was so familiar. "Max, please, stop. I'm here now. It's okay. I'm so sorry," he said in a whisper.

My eyes were shut, and I let my hand and the shell drop to my side. "I love you," I whispered, making my last breaths and words and meaningful as I could.

The angel beside me wrapped me in his arms and began to weep.

_The day you slipped away  
Was the day I found it won't be the same no._

When I opened my eyes, I could have been in heaven, but I was still on the beach. There was a cloth wound around my neck. I was alone again. The sky had clear up so that it wasn't raining as hard anymore, more like a light drizzle. Right away, I wished I had died, that the angel hadn't come to save me. Death was better than having to live without Fang.

"Max?"

I turned around slowly. Tears began to form in my eyes, and I started to choke back heavy sobs. The angel had come back for me. He held me tightly against his chest. His gentle sobs matching my own.

We sat there, the angel and me, for a long, long time. I didn't want to speak. I didn't want to wake up if this was a dream. But I knew that this was real. His strong, calloused, yet soft, hands that held me tenderly and his sweet voice, weak from crying, told me that this was the real thing. He was there with me, and that was all I cared about.

When he spoke to me next, I began to cry, throwing my arms around him and holding him even tighter.

"I missed you," he had whispered in my ear, "and I love you, too."

That night, I slept soundly for the first time in a month. I slept at ease since the last time he'd been there. I slept with him curled up next to me.

_I miss you_

**A sad one from me...Can't say much more than that.**

**I love this song. Slipped Away by Avril Lavigne. I started singing it tonight while I was reading, and I just had to write a story on it.**

**This song is actually based on a death in Avril's family, but obviously, I'm not letting anyone die, especially Fang, in my stories. So there you go.**

**- Saz**


	11. Over and Over

**I don't own Maximum Ride, Fang, or _Over and Over_ by Three Days Grace**

* * *

Over and Over

There's this . . . this hole here, underneath my skin. It's deep within me. It is my heart. My heart, that's where the hole is, in my heart. Every time I wake up in the middle of the night, every time I think about her, I feel it. And each time I feel it, the feeling is the same. It's always the same pain. The same emptiness. The same longing. The same hole.

It's my entire fault that I feel this way, too. If I hadn't felt so strongly toward her ― so wanting ― then maybe I wouldn't hurt so much. It is because of her that I hurt myself so much. It's my fault that she makes me feel the way I do.

_I feel it every day it's all the same  
It brings me down but I'm the one to blame_

She may not be the most gorgeous thing in the world, but she is still beautiful. No matter what I do to try and tell myself that I don't want her ― that I don't need her ― it never works. I've tried and tried again, and each try is followed by another fail. I keep on trying to make myself forget, but it will never work.

I thought that there was something between us that was special, something that was worth living for. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe I was right. I guess I may never know. Only tomorrow will tell me if I was right or not. Too bad that tomorrow never comes.

_I've tried everything to get away  
So here I go again_

I'll have to go out there and try to get her. I've followed her far already. What's keeping me from going farther? Maybe someday she'll notice me the way that I notice her. Maybe she'll know what I'm talking about when I say that there's something going on. Maybe she'll say she felt something too.

Maybe she won't.

I've chased her for this long, and nothing's happened yet. Who's to say that nothing will ever happen? She's reacted to my affection negatively in the past, and knowing her, it is more than likely to happen again. Maybe I should just give up while I'm ahead. Maybe I should just quit to make her happy. She'd like that.

_Chasing you down again  
Why do I do this?_

The first time she kissed me, even if by impulse, was enough to make me realize that we weren't kids anymore. After that, I thought long and hard about what I really wanted from life. It wasn't until I saw her in anguish that I knew what I wanted.

Then it just . . . snowballed from there. Things changed. My thoughts went from my usual thinking to her. It was all her all the time. I started to notice the little things that made me smile. Even more so, I started noticing the little things that made her smile.

_Over and over, over and over  
I fall for you_

Every little thing she did I put in a special place in the back of my mind so that I could look back and cherish them. When she laughed, I felt lighter. When she cried, I felt her pain. When she fought, I felt her strength. When she smiled, I felt her joy. If I fell, I felt her fear for me. If I stumbled, I felt her laughter. If I smiled, I felt the warmth on her cheeks.

It wasn't what I wanted. I didn't want to have these feelings toward her. The last thing I had wanted was to feel this way toward anybody, including her, but now I can't help it. There is nothing I want more than her. I gave up fighting what I feel.

_Over and over, over and over  
I try not to_

Without her, the minutes drag, the hours tick by slower, and the days feel like an eternity. Time is at a standstill until she comes back safely. Without her, my life is nothing. Life has little meaning if she isn't there. Without her, everything is stagnant. Everything stays the same if she isn't with me. Without her, nothing has color. Nothing has any beauty if she isn't there to shine her light on it.

I've been sucked into this, and there is no way for me to get out. I argued with my thoughts. I battled my feelings. I tried to deny my heart. I almost locked down my soul. But then she came back into the room and every barrier I had crumbled to the ground.

_It feels like everyday stays the same  
It's dragging me down and I can't pull away_

I had to try again to win her over. Again and again until I would get it right. Then I could stop, but until then, I will never give up on her. I would follow her until the end of the world just to say what I needed to say so desperately, but why should I? She's never returned anything I have given to her. I've given her every sign I can come up with while still being me. What will it take for her to realize what I feel?

_So here I go again  
Chasing you down again  
Why do I do this?_

The look on her face when the kids and I decided to look for a place to call home was nothing short of anger. She hated doing this, I knew, but it was what all of us would want in the long run. Her forehead was going to have permanent lines in it with the amount of frowning that she did, but regardless, I could never take my eyes off of her. I tried to talk to her. We needed to have a nice, long, in depth talk about . . . things.

What was it about her that made me want to know what was going through her head? Was it the scowl she constantly wore, or was it the occasional smile that could light the dark? After each place we left with defeat, I felt drawn to tell her something that would take the frown off of her face. Anything was better than seeing her worked up and miserable.

_Over and over, over and over  
I fall for you_

We flew to a cave to stay in for the night. I got a fire going, and we shared a fire-cooked desert rat. It doesn't ring romantic by any means, but we shared a few laughs. Still, she was unsure of settling down. Saving the world had become her main priority ― our main priority. She must have thought I was kidding when I told her to forget about it. I must have taken her visual of a world with us as the only survivors slightly. Her confusion was somewhat amusing.

I tried not to think of what I wanted to do. She was so confused. She didn't know what to do. I wanted to help her. There were the beginnings of tears in the corners of her eyes, but the instant I started rubbing her back to comfort her, she went on high alert. Somehow, her paranoia was endearing, but more than anything, I wanted her to change her mind about the mission. I wanted her to change her mind about me.

_Over and over, over and over  
I try not to_

That was the first time I actually kissed her. It was much longer than the first time when she kissed me on the beach. It was much better from my perspective, but not from hers. She stared straight at me, trying to read what I was feeling. At that point, I thought I had won her over, but as soon as I leaned closer to her, she leapt up from the ground. After that, she jumped over the cliff edge and flew off into the dark sky.

At first, I had been furious. What was I supposed to do, be thankful that she took a flying leap out of the cave just to stay away from me? A minute or so later I swept off the ground and collapsed onto the floor. I hated seeing her kiss Sam, but I enjoyed the memory of her kissing me on the beach. I felt the warmth of her lips on mine from just minutes ago. Even with the rejection, I still wanted her more than anything.

_Over and over, over and over  
You make me fall for you_.

We met up with her mother, though we didn't know it at the time, and she offered to take the chip out of her arm. The dreadful memories of her cutting her wrist at the beach with a shell hammered at my thoughts, and I knew that I needed the chip out of her before she did something to endanger herself again. When she was under the effects of the Valium, though, I couldn't help but to feel awkward. She didn't want me to let go of her hand, and then she said she loved me. Although, she was so drugged up and acting so impractical that I couldn't help but to groan.

Even if I did feel something toward her, it was odd to hear her say something about it. Still, I felt the butterflies in my stomach flutter and my heart sped up a few beats. She was under anesthetic, and yet she still looked so amusing. It was almost, dare I say it, adorable the way her words slurred together and the way she couldn't control a thing she was saying.

_Over and over, over and over  
You don't even try_

There were so many thoughts going through my head after that. She had said she loved me, this much to be exact, but as soon as she was back to normal, she immediately denied meaning it. Yet, I couldn't get the sound of those three little words out of my head. I never thought that I'd ever hear them coming from her, and even if she may not have meant it, it was nice to hear. I told her that we should have carved our names on a tree. She didn't take that too lightly.

When we broke up the flock, even though the majority of the blame should go to me, I thought that I could carry on and take care of my half of the flock with ease. I was wrong. It took a lot of time and energy to manage even two other members of the flock, let alone everybody, like she did. If one thing is certain, I swore I'd never take her for granted, and I will never leave her again. I feel like a part of me is missing. I feel empty, and I'm sure she feels the same about that.

_So many thoughts that I can't get out of my head_  
_I try to live without you, every time I do I feel dead._

If it's what is best for the flock or even better for her, I'll give her up. I should just stay away and forget that I ever had these feelings toward her. It would be the best thing for everybody. There wouldn't be any awkward moments between us. The flock wouldn't have to watch us be together. She wouldn't have to be with me, like she probably wants, and I would probably be healthier from not trying so hard.

But I want her. I need her. I need to forget what everyone else is saying. I won't listen to what I know is best. The only thing I'm going to do is what I know is right. She and I were meant for each other, no matter how much she may deny it. So, until the day she shares my affection, I'll keep trying. I don't care how long it will take, as long I have her.

_I know what's best for me  
But I want you instead  
I'll keep on wasting all my time_

We met up with her mother and Jeb after the meeting with the government. I sat on the window ledge, overlooking the scenery and traffic outside. When I heard the door to the bathroom open, I looked up. I had to do a double take. She looked stunning, and she smelled like the delicate shampoo that she used. I couldn't take my eyes off of her.

But the way she looked at me, with her guarded expression, told me that I needed to drop it. No matter, one of the kids started talking with her, leaving me to my window. My mind was replaying the way she smelled, so clean and soothing. I remembered the glow of her clean skin. It was almost more than I could handle. I wanted her too much.

_Over and over, over and over  
I fall for you_

The pizza box may have exploded at the hotel, but later that night, after we had changed hotels, I heard what she was talking about to her mother. It started off innocent enough, but I heard what she told her. I saw the way her mother was hesitant. I saw the way she bit her lip. I heard the way she all too quickly denied anything. I read the look on her face when she walked out of the room. I understood the look in her eyes when her mother reminded her of pain.

I debated that night, whether or not I should talk to her. Clearly, she did not want to admit anything was happening, or was she telling the honest truth? If she really did mean that nothing was going on, then I had no purpose on talking to her. But if she was hiding what she really felt, then I was going to say something. It was little things like that, those simple things, that made me feel an even deeper connection with her.

_Over and over, over and over  
I try not to_

I woke her up later that night. She looked bewildered, and her hair was only the slightest bit messy from sleep. Still, she was radiant, a jewel of a girl. When I asked her if she wanted to go out into the night sky she didn't need much of a reason. We could hold on our own. We could do what we wanted, and I knew what I wanted from her.

I watched her fly next to me, and though no words were said, I could feel her mind traveling to unknown places. She wanted to believe that there was nothing between us. She wanted to believe that we were only friends, nothing more, nothing less. I couldn't read her thoughts, but that's what I imagined what she could have been thinking. I didn't focus on the denial that must have been ringing in her ears. Instead, I focused on the graceful beat of her heavenly wings. Up and down. Up and down.

_Over and over, over and over  
You make me fall for you_

Ours wings overlapped as we sat down on the pier. I felt her heat radiating from her wing to mine, and I treasured her warmth and her closeness. I had to make sure that she and I were back on track from where we left off. She instantly seemed to become nervous, but I pressed on. She needed to know what I was talking about. She needed to know what I was feeling, and I needed to know that she felt the same.

When I kissed her, she froze, like she usually did, but I soon found my arms wrapped around her. She was pressed up against me as close as I could hold her. After her initial shock, she almost seemed to relax. She almost started to kiss me back with an equal passion, but she pulled back too soon, taking to the skies, leaving me alone on the dock. This had been the second time she flew away from me, yet I didn't mind it as much as I had before. In the end, her fleeing made me desire her even more.

_Over and over, over and over  
You don't even try to_

I love her. I love Maximum Ride, and I will win her over someday. She's worth it. She is worth me winning and losing over and over again.

* * *

**Well...I haven't posted in forever...sorry 'bout that.**

**Anyway...This is an amazing song by Three Days Grace, which is my favorite band...for now! If you didn't catch on, it's basically about Fang thinking about...guess who? If you guess Max, you're right! If you guessed anyone else...you're wrong! O.O Read the title, peeps...FAX. Thank you.**

**And oh.my.gosh...my songfics are so freakin' long. Dx Ah well. They're good and a heck of a lot of fun to write. :)**

**Read and review!**

**- Saz**


	12. Thunder

**I do not own Max or Fang or the flock.**

**Pre-Warning...it gets a bit "steamy" near the end...nothing happens, really, but I don't really reccomend reading if you're under the age of maybe 14. Rated T, but it's just a few details away from being M I think.**

**A little thing about the setting: I think, a rough guestimate, that Max and Fang should maybe be in their late teens early twenties. They're not so much on the run anymore, but their just kind of finding places to stay at for a while as they move. Nomads. Yeah.**

* * *

Thunder

Fang stood by a clear window, staring out at the sky. The clouds were rolling in fast. He had noticed that much. Off in the distance, he could see the lightning strike. A beautiful array of sharp and jagged light stretched across the sky faster than the eye could blink, but he was lucky enough to see many of them claw across the ever darkening sky. If he concentrated enough, he could hear the booming thunder echoing across the heavens.

The shaky house seemed to moan from the immense noises of the storm. When lightning struck the intense light would flash through the windows, and when the thunder would boom the house would quiver and quake. Every monstrous sound would rattle through the house like a shock wave, and it made Fang shiver.

It was a good thing he was a heavy sleeper, but he soon frowned, remembering how infrequently he ever slept all that well. Only when he was overly exhausted, had over worked his body, did he ever sleep without stirring. Tonight was going to be a long, hard night full of tossing and turning and restlessness.

Again, the thunder reverberated through the sky, closer this time. Fang cringed, caught unaware and not pleased by it. He brought his cup to his mouth and took a long, slow sip of his hot chocolate, trying to savor the taste instead of concentrating on the storm. It worked and he got his desired affect for a short amount of time before the thunder shook the house again.

Max trudged in from the other room, looking worn out and deflated. She collapsed onto the sofa with a groan of fatigue. Fang glanced back at her, but his attention turned back to the approaching storm. Once the lightning raked across the sky again, he took another sip from his mug, and went to sit down beside Max, now satisfied.

Neither of them said anything. Max stared at the ceiling, counting the number of irregular shaped tiles to keep her mind preoccupied. Fang looked straight forward, though focusing on nothing, and every now and then he would take a sip of his hot cocoa.

"That took longer than usual," he finally said in a soft voice.

Max closed her eyes and relaxed back into the soft couch. "It's the storm," she told him wearily. "They're not used to being in a shack like this in the middle of a big one."

Nodding, Fang took another sip. "Makes sense," he mumbled. He took one last sip before handing the mug to Max.

"Thanks," she whispered as she pulled the mug to her lips. She inhaled the scent of freshly made hot cocoa, making her smile with content. "I needed this."

Fang shrugged, throwing an arm behind her over the back of the couch. Max didn't even bother to glance at him. She was used to this now, the physical contact, and she didn't mind it either. Right now, though, the warm mug in between her hands was the only thing she thought about, or at least concentrated on.

The thunder sounded again even closer than before now. Fang clenched his jaw tightly and closed his eyes, taking several deep, methodical breaths.

Max didn't need to ask what was wrong with him. She already knew. "Yeah, it gets me sometimes, too," she told him in hopes of making him feel better. She took another sip of her hot cocoa as she waited for him to respond.

"I know," was all he could say. Fang kept his eyes closed, though much more lightly than before. He tried to sense the way the thunder would shake the house so that the next time when it boomed he would be ready. "I still can't believe I haven't gotten used to this," he muttered, slightly disgusted with himself. "It was only this bad when we were on the run."

"Technically," Max began, but took another sip first, "we're still on the run. We just stay in one place more often, and we're usually not outside now."

"Still, this shouldn't shake me anymore," Fang mumbled.

Max grunted. "Suck up your pride." She took another quick sip. "Or what's left of it," she added to try and lighten his mood, even though she herself wasn't up to jokes.

"Too late for that," Fang sighed.

She sighed with him, taking one more long and savored sip of her drink. Neither of them spoke for what seemed like hours. The minutes ticked by slower than usual, as did every testing second that threatened to break their silence. Fang appeared to be sleeping after a while, but Max knew better than to think that. So many long hours spent watching his breathing, his chest rising and falling, and his facial features had taught her plenty.

His jaw was relaxed, but there was still some tension in it. That was a dead giveaway that he was still awake. Fang only completely relaxed when he was sleeping. There was always some tension or tightness in his jaw when he was awake. He couldn't help it. It was his nature and had become habit to him during their years of being on the run, when running was the only way to survive. Now, running was something they did because it was all they could manage to do. They couldn't just settle down, at least, not yet. When they were ready, they would find a place high and secluded in the mountains, but until then they were hotel hopping and breaking into empty houses.

Another thing Max noticed was the way his lips were still together in a firm line. When he was sleeping, Fang's lips parted so that he could breathe better. One time while he had been sleeping and she had been lying awake beside him, she began to trace the shape of his lips with her finger tip. He awoke soon after that, startled and slightly disoriented, but he went back to sleep with ease.

The way his chest rose and fell with each breath was all wrong for the way he slept, as well. When he was awake, Fang's breathing was even, as if here was timing the seconds before he would be able to take another breath. That was how it was right now. Max counted out the seconds in her head as she watched his chest move with every breath.

_One Mississippi, two Mississippi, one Mississippi, two Mississippi,_ she counted out in her head in rhythm to his breaths.

A crack of thunder shook the house, and Max saw Fang's jaw tighten. She felt bad for him, that his body wouldn't allow him to relax when he needed it most. Max reached out and touched his cheek. Slowly, Fang's eyes opened and he looked at her wearily.

"We don't have to do this tonight, Fang," she whispered to him softly.

Fang closed his eyes again, gently holding Max's hand in his own. "I want to," he murmured. "Don't you?"

Max closed her eyes as she leaned into him. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, holding her close to him. "Yes," she answered delicately. "Yes, I do."

He nodded and began to twirl her hair with his fingers. Max pressed herself as close to him as possible, feeling the heat transferring from his body to hers. She wanted to feel more of his warmth against her cold body. Tonight they would sleep close together for both of their sakes. Neither of them would get much sleep if the other wasn't there. They both knew this, and they knew it well.

Finally, Max opened her eyes and straightened up on the couch. She stood up slowly, careful not to startle him. Fang watched her every move with his tired eyes. Max bent over and kissed his forehead.

"I'll meet you in bed," she said to him, kissing him once more.

Fang nodded and slowly, as if it were painful, got up from the couch. He stretched his sore joints, but flinched when the sound of thunder ricocheted off of the nearby cliffs. Max watched him for a second to make sure he was okay before she shuffled into the kitchen with her empty mug in hand.

He didn't wait for her as he headed down the hallway, avoiding the stairs that lead to the other rooms. Downstairs was a separate bedroom that he had assumed was for guests of the owners. Despite the fact that they were here uninvited, the guest room still served its purpose for them. Upstairs was where everyone else was sleeping. The last thing he wanted to do was to disturb them.

The knob to the door of the guest room squeaked, but nothing that would draw attention or wake the others. Fang walked in silently, anticipating an unkempt room that would be an eye sore, but he was surprised to see that it was decent enough. He closed the door behind him, although, he left it opened a fraction of an inch so Max could come in. She was still in the kitchen he knew, so he stalled as he brought the covers down on the bed.

By the time he was done fixing the blankets, Max had walked in. She stood at the foot of the bed, watching as Fang nervously tugged at a corner of the sheet.

"You're usually not this skittish," she commented quietly.

"It's usually not this bad outside either," he told her, "and we're usually not in such a rickety house."

Max nodded, understanding. She made her way over to him, stopping just a step in front of him. They looked into each other's eyes, almost fearful of what would happen next.

"Are you going to start or should I?" she asked.

Fang stared at her for a second longer, but then he reached down and kissed her forehead. He moved to her eyes, her cheeks, her neck, her collar bone, and finally her lips. Each kiss was light, but it was enough to make her sigh with contentment. They smiled at each other, now comfortable with what they were doing.

Max jumped a little when she felt his hands at her waist, but she quickly held her arms above her head so that he could slowly pull her shirt off. There she stood in front of him with nothing more than a too small of a cami on, her bra exposed. After that, he crossed his arms in front of his body, pulling off his shirt now. For another long moment, they examined each other, memorizing the curves on the other's body.

She put her hands on Fang's broad shoulders and gradually slid them down his bare chest, feeling every muscle beneath her hands. Fang closed his eyes as Max found her way down to his belt and carefully undid the buckle. Max softly pressed her lips to the skin above his belt before standing back up.

They found each other's lips and slowly kissed, exaggerating their movements. Fang began to lightly tug on her slight shirt, and she kissed him harder. Max ran her hand down his arm, urging him push her to the bed. He responded as she had wanted. Now she was on top of him, using this to her advantage and trying to push his jeans off while still kissing him.

As she fumbled with his pants, Fang began to pull on her exposing shirt again. She seemed to enjoy this and gently bit down on his lip. In one swift movement, Fang had rolled them over so that Max was now underneath of him. He had kicked off his jeans and now sat above her in nothing but his boxers. Max still had on her shorts, cami, and under garments, and Fang was determined to get at least half of them off.

Neither of them needed to be told what to do. It was understood to both of them. Her shorts were slid off from her thin legs, and her cami was yanked over her head with ease. The kisses never ceased except for when Fang would softly press his lips to Max's neck, occasionally nipping or sucking on her tender skin. Max pushed him forward until they were both laying the wrong way on the bed with her on top of him. For a minute, they stopped and looked at one another, their breathing heavy.

"Had enough?" Fang asked breathlessly.

"Almost," she said lightheartedly. Max eyed his waist and began to trace the elastic waistband. "This is as far as we're going tonight."

"But we're not done," he assumed.

A glint of wickedness flashed in her eyes as she leaned down next to his face. "Not even close," she whispered into his ear.

Fang slid his hand onto her back and felt for her the frail pieces that held her bra together in the back. Max understood what he was doing and directed his hand with hers to the correct spot where the hooks were.

"On one condition," she murmured, still eyeing his waistline.

"Not fair," he said gruffly. Max crushed her lips against his, feeling his heat warm her.

The thunder rattled off in the distance, but Fang didn't even flinch. Max noticed this.

"Getting over our fears now?" she teased.

"I'm a little distracted," Fang reminded her.

"I can help with that," Max said covertly.

Before she had a chance to do anything Fang pushed Max back up to the head of the bed, making sure to land on top this time. He moved his lips with hers, loving the sound of their pleasure and fulfillment of lust. He was so preoccupied he didn't even notice the clash of thunder and lightning right outside the house. Max would keep him distracted, and maybe someday she'd break him of his habit of anxiety with storms. Maybe she'd break him of other habits someday, too.

* * *

**Yeah...I had no idea where this was supposed to be going. I started writing it at about 10:00 PM and didn't finish until 12:30 AM...I got the general idea, the storm part, from the fact that there is a pretty bad storm system going through the area. haha!**

**This was way different for me. I usually don't write with this much...physical detail, but I was feeling...adventurous today. Besides, there's going to be a pretty steamy part in Chasing Midnight eventually, so I figured, what the hell? I might as well practice. o.o**

**Quick reminder to those who read other things of mine...I deleted my older story MR: Code Name Alpha (CNA) and have re-posted it as a new story. Go look for it and please, please, please give me critiques. I feel it's better than before, but not quite up to par yet. And if you could, please critique this one. I was attempting to write with sort of the idea of seductiveness (at parts) while still being slightly (but not very) reserved. Like I said, this was sort of practice for when I write the chapter for Chasing Midnight. Elliot is more reserved. Dawn is a bit eccentric and doesn't mind showing affection (especially toward Elliot).**

**Anyway...you know how this goes. I write. You read. You review. I write some more. We're all happy. :)**

**- Saz**


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